An Interesting Cancer Question
My answer is that they're not. What people are calling skin cancer, is really just the runaway metastasis of skin cancer. Skin cancers start their life off as symmetrical,damaged tissue that did not repair correctly. They only become asymmetrical in metastasis. Why do they become asymmetrical when they are spreading (metastasizing)?
When a cancer attempts metastasis, it's trying to use its genetic combination of keys to the corresponding locks of our organs and organ tissue. Once cancer is established,it can use exosomes for kind of intercellular communication, and jump from place to place. But its first step is to establish a foothold somewhere.
Where they establish their first foothold is determined by how successful they are in overtaking local cells and bending them into a mutagenic platform for their own growth. I see skin cancer and irregular patches of skin as a form of measure against the random resistance of a general area of skin. Cancer by its very nature must vary its attack - it might be trying several 'keys' to the local 'locks'. Localized skin will expect certain kinds of other growth that are very similiar - as I wrote before, the nominal cancer existed before - and so will be tolerated. And that's when things get bad: your immune system should not tolerate a cell that is reproducing without a nucleus.
Cancer is continuously trying to break our code - but thanks to the telomere, the end of our DNA - most cancers have to try 400 times or more before they even get a shot at using our dna for their nefarious purpose. It's a 'code book' of sorts that keeps us safe by changing the locks that the cancer cells are trying to key. As the telomere breaks off, the code book becomes shorter and the lock combinations become easier to guess (two digit code, vs. three digit code, for example). Skin reacts strongly to this cycle because it's constantly rotating cells off - mitosis is ongoing. And also because skin is constantly taking damage. The less damage, and this process slows. That's why people who stay inside alot rarely get skin cancer. But they still can get it.
I think it's not too far off that what we're seeing here is the skin attempting to err on the side of safety, and go darker (increase its pigmentation) in the irregular areas where it senses danger as the cancer invades. This is also a good response to damage from UV ray - and can come if the telomere is in an unstable environment ( i.e. if there is a chemical imbalance like an absence of zinc or calcium ).
So what if this is correct? Can the cells nearest the lesion could be harvested to form a defense?
And still another question, which is, I think, related - is how do you make your skin look younger? In skin cancer you have prevention, and then combat - but in age related disease it's mostly prevention and regeneration. Be consistent for seven years.
A big part of the likely solution to skin rejuvenation comes from the fact that the older cells tend to accumulate. That's one thing that skin cancers and other forms of skin-destroying genetic effects - will want to keep around. It's like a library to them. So, if you abrade the skin mildly - are you rejuvenating "younger" skin underneath - or simply exciting a constant response from your immune defense system to eat the older cells. You're certainly getting 'younger' skin. I think the latter is the case, however.
You can abrade away skin, and you'll have younger skin - but the buildup of the old cells came from a mistaken response to damage.
If you take off the old skin collagen one meets more oxygen and also benefits from the low grade cellular destruction of its dead counterpart. But the keys and locks are still there and will regenerate when the next layer of skin comes through. Which is not going to be very long. Skin is very aggressive in its replacement regimen.
The good news is that Cancer really doesn't know what to do with itself. Its constantly making mistakes. In combat, I think as long as you make its playing field small, that is - take away its bat and ball (telomerase) - it will not be able to grow. At that point, the answer to the second question comes into play: you can run telomerasic reactivation and the collagen one will regenerate. But only at that point. Do it too early, and you will get cancer I bet. From wikipedia:
A study which focused on Ashkenazi Jews, found that those that live the longest inherit a hyperactive version of telomerase that rebuilds telomeres.
In mice engineered to block the gene that produces telomerase unless they are given a certain drug aged at a much faster rate and died at about six months, instead of the average mouse lifespan of about three years. Administering the drug at 6 months turned on telomerase production and caused their organs to be "rejuvenated," restored fertility, and normalized their ability to detect or process odors. The finding raises hope for treatment of conditions such as progeria and other accelerated aging disorders, as well as possible organ regeneration therapies*, such as repair of liver damage due to hepatitis or alcoholism.
A study published in the journal Nature in January 2011 found that Telomerase reactivation reversed tissue degeneration in older telomerase-deficient mice.
* skin cancer is one of them. So what's the actual answer?
My vote here is Zinc. Your skin is breaking down constantly - but if you boost zinc levels you'll probably be able to offset the damage and stabilize the telomere environment. Anything else, like boosting telomerase, or microderm abrasion - and you're going to just put another layer of skin on that will quickly get damaged and regenerate back to where it was before.
And that's where I am going to go. I'm also going to drop weight and fix my leg (it's got a really bad scar that effs it up.) The combination should set me in line for my iron man. I have totally blown that off, as many readers will note. Blown off. But not forgotten.
I really don't know the answer to why skin cancers grow in irregular pattern. Does anyone know?
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